A Milton Keynes taxi driver has been fined for charging a passenger nearly double the legal fare.

Nasir Iqbal of Leafield Rise, Two Ash Mile, appeared before city magistrates to admit failing to engage his taxi meter and charging more than the legal fare.

He was fined £50 for failing to engage his taxi meter and £50 for overcharging.

He was also instructed to pay costs of £500 and a £20 victim surcharge.

The magistrates told Mr Iqbal that they were particularly disappointed as he had lost the trust of his customers and taxi drivers need to be fair.

The court heard how on March 22, the complainant was at the Central Milton Keynes rail station trying to get a taxi to take him home.

He approached a Hackney Carriage taxi, outside the main station doors and asked the driver if he took card payments to which the driver replied “yes”, before getting into the taxi.

The driver then advised the complainant the fare would be a minimum of £10, which the passenger didn’t question because he was tired and keen to get home, even though he had doubts over the price quoted.

However, he noticed that at no point during the journey was the taxi meter ‘switched on’.

Once home the driver used a “Pay-Pal” payment system on his mobile telephone to take a payment of £9.90.

The passenger later made a formal complaint to Milton Keynes Council that he was overcharged for the journey.

As a result of this, taxi enforcement officers tested the route taken by the driver in another Hackney Carriage vehicle and the fare shown on the taxi meter at the end of the journey was £5.80.